Table chair



L. D. LEVY TABLE CHAIR Feb. 20, 1934.

Filed Feb. 6, 1935 m m e L NTOR 0 BY y Wv ATTORNEY WITNESSES Sm WW Patented Feb. 20, 1934 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 9 Claims.

This invention relates to chairs and has for an object to provide an improved construction wherein the chair may be folded into a compact mass when in one position, and unfolded to be used as a table or in the usual manner of a chair with a proper support for the back.

Another object of the invention is to provide an improved folding construction wherein there is provided a swinging back board capable of adjusting itself automatically to the angle of the back of the person using the chair.

An additional object is to provide an improved folding chair wherein part of the back is formed as a tiltable or swinging table capable of use at an angle to the horizontal, or in a substantially horizontal position, thus adapting it to be used as an artists easel or as a flat topped table.

A further object of the invention is to provide a chair in which there is provided a swinging back member capable of being swung to one side so that a person may sit on the chair backwise and then readjust the back member to pre-- sent an easel or a table for various uses.

With the above recited and other objects in view invention resides in the novel construction set forth in the following specification and particularly pointed out in the appended claims and illustrated in the accompanying drawing,

it being understood that the right is reserved to modifications other than those actually indicated herein to the full extent indicated by the general meaning of the terms in which the claims are expressed.

In the accompanying drawing- Figure 1 is a perspective view of a table chair disclosing an embodiment of the invention;

Figure 2 is a view similar to Figure 1 but showing the chair in a different position;

Figure 3 is a fragmentary view partly in section showing one side of the upper end of the chair illustrating how the back member or board may be swung from one position to another;

46 Figure 4 is a perspective view showing how the back member or board is disengageably connected on one side.

Figure 5 is an edge View of the chair shown in folded position.

Referring to the accompanying drawing by numerals, 1 and 2 indicate what may be termed inside legs which are pivotally mounted at 3 and 4 to what may be termed outside legs 5 and 6. Legs 5 and 6 merge into what may be termed back arms 7 and 8 which accommodate suitable connecting means for connecting and supporting the back 9 in place and also in various adjusted positions. The back 9 consists of a board or a number of boards or other structure forming preferably a flat surface hav ing a raised portion or bead 10 along one edge. When the chair is to be used solely as a chair the parts are arranged substantially as shown in Fig. 1.

If desired, the back 9 may be locked in the position shown, or it can be left to swing freely so that it will accommodate itself to the angle of the back of the person sitting in the chair. It will be evident that any suitable form of seat 11 may be connected with the legs, the form shown in the drawing being a fabric or folding structure connected at the respective ends to the front of legs 1 and 2 and to the top of legs 5 and 6.

A back arm 7 is provided with a slot 12, as shown in Fig. 4. A U-shaped reinforcing piece of -metal 13 is secured by screws or otherwise to the upper end of the back arm '7 so as to reinforce the parts and present a bearing for the wing nut 14 which is threaded on to a journal member 15 rigidly secured to back 9 in any desired manner, as, for instance, by being screwed into back 9. However, the structure is so made that the pin 15 is adapted to fit into the notch 12 when in one position and to be either loosely resting therein so as to permit of swinging movement of back9, or it may be so tightened by screwing up the nut 14 as to look back 9 at an angle whereby it may be used as an artists easel, or in substantially a horizontal position as shown in Figs. 2 and 3, whereby it may be used as a table or other supporting means for any desired purpose.

On the opposite edge to that carrying the pin or journal member 15 in Fig. 4, there is provided 'a hinge 18, said hinge having one leaf secured to the back 9 and the other to the upper end of the back arm 8. The leaf carried by the back arm 8 accommodates the bolt 19 which is clamped tightly in place by the wing nut 20 acting against a friction plate 21. This structure permits the locking of the back 9 in different adjusted positions as heretofore described and also permits a swinging movement thereof. It will be understood that nuts 14 and 20 will be loose or comparatively loose when the back is to be swung, after which if desired they may be tightened. Usually these nuts are under a slight tension at all times so that the back may be swung at any time and will normally remain in the new position. However, where the back 9 is to be used as a table, the nuts 14 and are tightened appreciably so as to prevent any accidental movement in case a weight of any kind is placed on the table.

When an artist is using the device for sketch work, or when any one is using the back 9 as a table or similar support, the person so using the same may readily sit on the seat 11 and enjoy the comfort of sitting down while doing the desired work on the back 9 which is acting either as an easel or as a table. To conveniently use the chair in this manner, the nut 14 is loosened somewhat and the back 9 is swung on the hinge 18 to the dotted line position shown in Figure 3, leaving the back of the chair open so that a person may sit down on the seat 11 after stepping between the back arms 7 and 8. After being seated the person using the device will 1 swing the back 9 over to its ori inal position and will screw up nuts 14 and 20 to the desired extent, after having first swung the back to the desired angle.

When the chair is not in use it may be folded, if desired, to the position shown in Figure 5. This is possible by reason of the'faot that the respective arms 7 and 8 are hinged at 21 and 22 to the legs 5 and 6. Suitable locking means 23 is provided adjacent each of the hinges whereby the parts are locked in operative position, namely, the position shown in Figures 1 and 2. This lock is shown in the nature of a hook and eye but it may be a sliding bolt or other locking means which will hold arms '7 and 8 rigidly in their extended position. When it is desired to fold the chair, nut 14 is loosened and the back 9 is swung over to the dotted position shown in Figure 2. The respective legs are swung into parallelism and then the arms are swung over against the outer legs 5 and 6, after which the back 9 is swung to a nested position.

While a few uses have been set forth for the chair and particularly the back 9, it will be understood that this is not intended as a limitation upon the scope of the invention, as various changes and modifications which properly fall within the scope of the appended claims may be resorted to when desired.

I claim:-

1. A table chair comprising a pair of inner legs, a pair of outer legs, means for pivotally connecting said legs together'near a central point thereof, a flexible seat connected to the tops of the respective legs, an arm extending upwardly from the upper end of each'of the outer legs, a back comprising a single board structure, means for hinging said back to one of said arms, detachable means for swingably connecting said back to the other of said arms, and means for swingably mounting said hinge connection.

2. In a chair of the character described, a pair of back arms, a back, means for mounting said back at the upper ends of said arms, said means on one side of the back comprising a hinge having a leaf and a rotatable bolt extending from said leaf for mounting said hinge on one of said arms, and on the other side of said back comprising a journal pin rigidly secured to the back and a nut for clamping the pin to the other of said arms, the last mentioned arm having an open slot in which said pin is releasably held whereby said nut is adapted topress the last mentioned arm against said back.

3. A chair including a pair of back arms, one

of said arms having a slot positioned longitudinally thereof at the upper end and the other an aperture, said aperture being aligned with the lower end of said slot, a U-shaped reinforcing plate surrounding said slot on three sides, a friction plate arranged on the other arm adjacent said aperture, a hinge having one leaf positioned adjacent said aperture, a bolt extending through said aperture, said friction plate and said leaf, a back arranged between the upper end of said arms, means for connecting one leaf of said hinge to said back, and a journal pin having a clamping nut arranged on said back at a point diametrically opposite said hinge, said journal pin being adapted to fit into said slot, and said nut being adapted to be tightened when it is desired to lock the back in a desired position.

4. A chair including a pair of back arms, a back coacting with the upper ends of said arms, and means for mounting said back on the upper ends of said arms so that said back may freely rotate between said arms and may be swung at another time on one of the arms to be positioned at one side of the remaining part of the chair.

5. A table chair comprising a plurality'of folding chair legs, a flexible seat connected with said legs, a back arm extending upwardly from each of two of said legs, said arms being in'ali'gnment with the last mentioned legs, one'of 'said arms having a longitudinally positioned notch in the upper end and the other an aperture in line with the bottom of said notch, a back 'arranged between said arms, a pivotal pin extending from said back through said notch, a wing nut for clamping the pinto the arms carrying the notch, a hinge having one leaf connected to said back at a 'point substantially diametrically opposite said pin, a bolt arranged in said aperture and extending through the other leaf of said hinge for clamping said other leaf to the arm carrying the aperture, said bolt having a wing nut whereby the nut and said pin may be brought under tension without the use of tools so as to hold the back in different adjusted positions.

6. A table chair comprising inner and outer legs, a flexible seat member connected with said legs, a back arm extending from each of said outer legs, a back, a pairof means for swingably supporting said back on the upper ends of said arms, said pair of means being-positionedso that the back when in one position maybe swung between said arms in a plane parallel with the arms, a hinge connected to said back one of the means of said pair of means being carried by said hinge so that the back may be swung about said hinge to a position at one '1 side of said chair, and a detachable connection between the other of said pair of means and its arm, said detachable connection acting as a locking member for locking the back in different angular positions between said arms.

7. A chair including a pair of backarms, one of said arms having an aperture near the upper end and the'other an open slot, the lower end of said slot and said aperturebeing in alignment,

a back arranged between said arms, a journal I'wmember carried by said back and releasably held in said slot, a bolt extending through said aperture, and a hinge connecting the back to-said bolt whereby the back may be supported between said arms in different angular positions,

or may be swung about said hinge to a position at one side of said chair.

8. A table chair including a pair of legs, a pair of arms hingedly connected with said legs, one of said arms being provided with an open slot at one end and the other arm being provided with an aperture, locking means for locking said arms substantially in alignment with said legs, said locking means and said hinge being positioned so that when the locking means are released the arms may be swung about the hinge means into folded relation against the legs, said chair also including a back, means for swingably mounting said back between said arms, said last mentioned means including a journal member carried by said back and removably held in said open slot, a bolt extending through said aperture, and a hinge connecting said back to said bolt whereby the back may be supported between said arms in difierent angular positions,

or may be swung about said hinge to a position at one side of said chair.

9. A chair of the character described including a pair of back arms, a back and and a plurality of means for connecting the back to the upper ends of said arms, said means including a hinge carried by said back, a bolt carried by said hinge extending through one of said arms near the upper end thereof, a second bolt carried by said back, said bolts being positioned to extend in a direction from one arm to the other with their axes in alignment so that the back may be swung between said arms, means disengageably connecting said second bolt to the other of said arms whereby the back may be supported between said arms in different angular positions, or may be swung about said hinge to a position at one side of said chair.

LEON D. LEVY. 

